Braised Lamb Necks with

Red Cabbage Pomegranate Slaw

Neck meat is the best meat. I will take a neck over a filet any day.We don't often get a chance to eat it not because of the price or scarcity but because of the time. A good filet mignon is really good, don't get me wrong, but it's hardly transformative like a good roast can be. The filet is good because it's tender and flavorful and rare. In fact it is precisely the most tender muscle group on the entire animal and accounts for only about 1.5 pounds of the entire 1700 pound beast. That's just 0.09 percent! But once you procure that meat you really don't have to do anything at all, thus carpaccio and steak tartare. The neck on the other hand is tough and full of connective tissue and bone; it takes work to make it consumable. It needs to be cooked low and slow like other cuts with lots of connective tissue, i.e. ribs. It needs to undergo what is called a Maillard reaction. Named after the scientist who discovered it, this is the process that accounts for the brown crust of bread, the flavor or caramel, the taste of coffee, and the consistency of brisket. Strictly speaking it is the process of creation and destruction of new compounds that occurs when protein, sugar, heat, and time come together. And it is because of these transformations that make low and slow cooking so cherished and savory and celebratory. But before we get to the low and slow part we must brown the meat to really bring out the best flavor (as always season with s&p).

Once it is seared, add mirepoix (onions, carrots, and celery), garlic, potatoes, beef bullion, and white wine.

Of course, try the wine for quality control purposes and then place the pot in the oven on about 285F for several hours (5-7hrs).

Next remove from the oven, take out the meat and veggies and leave the liquid in the pot.

Whisk the liquid over low heat with a little butter, wine, and perhaps some mint jelly. Mint goes very well with lamb. However, I had just received some fresh pomegranates from a friend of mine so I used the juice of that since I was also pairing this with a pomegranate cabbage slaw.

I prepared the slaw with pomegranate berries and juice and orange muscat vinegar along with s&p and scallions to top.

This meal will literally melt in your mouth and leave you dreaming of sheep, not just counting them.

• Lamb necks
• Carrots
• Potatoes
• Yellow onions
• Garlic
• Celery
• Beef bullion
• Red Cabbage
• Scallions (green onions)
• White wine
• Pomegranate
• Vinegar
• Salt and pepper
• Butter